Base for theftproof lamps



Nov. 1, 1927.l 1,647,593

F. W. WALTON BASE FOR THEFTPROOF LAMPS Filed April l'o, 1925.

i INVENTOR FRANK WAL TON Patented Nov. i, lt?.

ice..

T" Op FRANK WILLETT WALTON, OF EAST ORANGE, JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO WESTING- .HOUSE LAME COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

BASE ron Trinrrrnoonainrs.

Application filed April 10, 1925. Serial No. 22,005.

This inventionrelates to bases for incandescent electric lamps, screw plug connectors and similar articles adapted to be received in screw sockets and more particularly to the provision in articles of this A nature of means for preventing unauthorized shops,

pensive base construction.

removalv thereof from their sockets.

Considerable expense and inconvenience has been experienced in the past in the surreptitious removal of incandescent electric lamps from their sockets in public places, factories, warehouses, etc., and 'while numerous attempts have been made heretofore, to provide satisfactory means for locking lamps and similar screw threaded objects into their sockets, such attempts have either involved the use of specially constructed socket-s, ailamp therefrom or in complicated and eX- ne of the objects of tion is to `provide a base for an incandescent electric-lamp whicn is simple in construction,

inexpensive to manufacture and which may be used with the ordinary .lamp sockets without special keys, etc. and which will be effective to prevent unauthorized removal of the lamp therefrom. u

Another object is to provide a base for an incandescent lamp formed in a plurality lof parts which may be readily screwed into theordinary standard lamp socket as a unit but which cannot be' removed therefrom wit-hout causing a separation of paid parts and thereby rendering the lamp inoperative. Another object is to provide a lamp which when inserted into a lamp socket, cannot be removed therefrom without rendering 'the same inoperative but which vdoes not necessitate for its removal breakage of the glass parts thereof.

Another object is to provide an improved base and socket for an incandescent lamp, screw plug or similar object which may be effectively locked together by the mere act of screwing the article into the socket and which cannot thereafter be removed without separation of the base into independent parts and consequent rupture of a current conductor.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

Vtliiiethe invention will be described in connection with a base for an incandescent p usually provided with locking means' requiring a special key to insert and remove the present invenl lamp, it is to be understood that it is equally applicable to screw plug connectors and sim ilar articles adapted to be threaded into socketsV or other receptacles.

In accordance with this invention, the

l. ,tense-3 screw shell which may constitute the base Jfor an incandescent lamp or` one of the contacts of a screwplug` connector or similar object, is formed in two parts normally retained in proper relation to each other by means of a resilient connector contained therein. One half of the threaded shell `carries the central contact to which one of the lleading-in wires ofthe lamp is joined and the other half of the shell if; cemented to the lamp bulbland has the other leading-in wire .connected thereto. structed that in screwing the lamp into the socket, the two parts thereof will vbe held together so as to be inserted into the socket as a unit but should an attempt be made to remove the lamp from its socket, the outer portion of the base, that is, that portion car.- rying the central contact, wili be restrained from rotation withinthe socket and the portion of the base to which the lamp is cemented will be screwed outwardly away therefrom causing a separat-ion of the two parts and resulting in the breakage of thc leading-in wire connected respectively to the centralcontact and to the bulb.

After the bulb and the portion of the base secured thereto have been removed from the socket, access may be had to the interior of the other half of the base to release the means bywhich it is locked in the socket .and the remaining portion of the base may then be readily screwed out of the socket. n order to insure that the outer half of the base will not screw out of the socket with the or depressions to receive a projection on the outer end of the base.

f The invention may be more fully understood by reference -to the accompanying drawings in which',

Fig. 1 is an elevation of an' incandescent lamp having a base constructed in. accord-l ance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a drop perspective of the base; Fig. 8 is a section of line Ill-1H of Fig. t; and,

Fig. et is a sectional view of a lamp Socket with a lamp partially removed therefrom. rThe lamp shown in Fig. l comprises a The base is so con- I asl A bulb, the socket maybe provided with slotsl ies bulb 1 having a base 2 attached thereto and formed in two separate pieces 3 and 4. The

outer portion y3 of the base carries the central contact 5 of the lamp which is con nected to one end of the filament by means of theleading-in wire 6. The other half 4.- of the base is cemented to the bulb as at 7 as is well known in 4the art. The outer portion of the shell 3 is retained normally in proper relation with respect to the inner portion 4 thereof by means of a flat spring 8 which is contained within the base and has on one end thereof, a pair of outwardly extending prongs 9 and 10 adapted to be received in perforations 11 and 12 formed in the two halvesl 3 and 4, respectively, of the base.

When the lamp is-screwed into the socket, the outer portion 3 of the base will be locked therein, as will presently appear, and when an attempt is made to4 remove the lamp, the inner portion 4 of the base will be screwed outwardly away from the central contact 5, causing rupture of the leadingin wire' 6.

The spring 8 is-sopositioned within the two halves ofthe base that the prongs 9 and 10 extending through the perforations in the base, project outwardly therefrom and are .inclined in a direction oppositely to the d1- rection of rotation of the base when it is threadedinto the socket so that they will not hinder the insertion of the lamp there-in.

The adjacent edges of the two halves of the base are provided with cooperating clutch members 13 which normally engage to pen mit the base to be rotated as a unit into the socket but which permit relative rotation between the two halves of the base in the opposite direction. l/Vhen the lamp is screwed into the socket, the projecting ends 9 and 10 of the spring are pressed inwardly into the openings l1` and 12, by the inner wall of the socket and through the combined action of the spring 8 and the clutch member 13, the two halves of the base are screwed as a unit into the socket.

However, should an attempt be made to unscrew the lamp from. the socket, the sharpened edge of the projection 9 of the spring will dig into the wall thereof and prevent theouter half 3v of the base from being further rotated. The inner half 4r of the base, however, maybe readily turned with the bulb, the edge of the opening 12 in the shell sliding over the end of the projection 10, which is inclined in the direction of rotation thereof and therefore forms no appreciable obstacle to the removalof this half of the base. As the bulb and the lower half of the base move outwardly, tension is put upon the leading-in wire 6 to cause the same to be broken and the lamp rendered useless. Y

It should be noted that in removing a to permit the shell parts to aeaaaea lamp, it is unnecessary to break the glass portions thereof but the entire bulb and a portion of the ase are remove"y together. After they have been removed, access may be readily had to the spring 8,.and by a slight rotation thereof, the projection 9 may be withdrawn through the opening 12 into the interior of the base and out of contact with the wall of the socket. rl"he two halves of the base are not distorted or otherwise inl jurcd in the removal of the lamp from the socket and may be salvaged', reunited and again used. l

ln order to insure that the outer half 3 l of the base will not be removed from the socket with the bulb, the socket may be pro- 'vided with a depression or opening 1li into which the projecting end'9 of the Vspring will enter and positively hold the outer portion vof the base from further rotation.

While but a single embodiment of the invention has been described herein, it is tol parts .adapted to be screwed into a lamp f' socket in unison when rotated in one direction and dividable when rotated in another direction for removai.

2. A base for an incandescent lamp comprising a threaded shell composed 'of two parts,imeans connecting said arts adapted e screwed in one direction into a socket in unison, said means operating to cause a' division of the shell when screwed in an opposite direction to prevent the unitary removal of said parts' from a socket.` Y

3. A base for an incandescent lamp come` prising a threaded shell composed of two parts, a springconnecting said parts adapted to permit the same to be screwed into a lamp socket in unison but serving to cause a separation of the shell parts when screwed in an opposite direction in an attempt to remove said parts from the socket.

LA base for an incandescent lamp comprising a threaded shell composed of two parts, disposed in axial alignment and having adjacent clutch faces whereby the two parts may be rotated in unison in one direction an independently in the opposite direction.

' 5. A base for an incandescent lamp com-v prising a threaded shell composed of two parts disposed in axial alignment, means cooperating with said shell parts to permit the lamp to be screwed into a socket with said parts in ixed relation and means to prevent the unitary removal of said shell parts.

6. A base for an incandescent lamp oomlas prising a threaded lshell composed of two parts disposed in axial alignment and having adjacent clutch faces wherebythe two parts may be rotated in unison in one direction and independent-ly in the opposite direction and means joining said parts and maintaining them normally so -positioned as to permit the lamp to be screwed into its socket said means operating to render the lamp inoperative upon 4an attempt to remove the same 'from' the socket.

7. A base for an incandescent lamp-'com prising a. threaded .shell composed of' two arts, each having a perforation therein and a resilient member within said baseenga-ging withsaid perforations to normally maintain said 'parts in proper relation but allowing relative movement therebetween.

' a resilient member within said base engaging 8. A base for an incandescent lampv com'- prising a. 'threaded shell composed of two parts, each having a perforation therein and with-said perforations to normally maintain said parts in proper'relation vbut allowing relative movement therebetweenl in one direction onl Asaid parts in proper relation to permit the lamp to be inserted in'its socket but allowing relative movement' therebetween so as to render the lampinoperative when an attempt.

is made to remove thelamp from its socket. 10. An electrical connector adapted to be inserted into a threaded socket, comprising a composite threaded shell, an insulated contact member on one part of said shell and l means for permitting the shell to be inserted vinto a socket as a unit upon rotation in one direction, said means operating upon an op- 'posite rotation of said shell to cause a relative movement between the component parts thereof, to render the connector inoperative.

11. A base for an incandescent lamp com- `prising a composite threaded shell, a connector Within said shell engaging both of said sections thereof to normally retain them in properv relation, said connector having means extending throughv one of said sections aelapted to lock the same in a socket.

' 12. A base for an incandescent lamp comprising-a threaded shell divided transversely into two sections, a resilient connector within -said shell-engaging both of said sections to normally retain them in proper relation, said connector having a sharpened pron extending through one of said sections agapted to engage the wall of a socket to lock the same t-herein.

13. A base Jfor an incandescent lamp com- ,prising a threaded shell divided transversely into a. plurality of sections, a connector within\said shell-engaging said sections' to nori `mally Iretain them in proper relation, said connector having a projection extending i through an opening in one of said sections adapted to engage the wall of `a socket to lock the samel therein. 14. A base for an incandescent into two sections, a resilient connector encircling the innerwall of said shell enga mg bot-h of said sections to normally retain t em lamp Lcom-A l pri'sing a threaded shell divided transversely in proper re ation, said connectorl having means extending through one of said sections adapted to loclLthe .same in a socket. 15. A base for an incandescent lamp comprising a'threaded shell formed in two loiigitudinal sections, a resilient connector enciri cling the inner wall of said shell enga gy both of said sections to normally retain t em in proper relation, said connector having a projection extending through one of said sections adapted to engage a socket to'4 lock the same therein, said connector permitting removal of the other of'said sections from the socket. v

In testimony. whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 9th day' of April,

FRANK WALTON. 

